I Never Boycotted Ebonyi Mining Cluster Site Inspection Over Umahi, Onu Feud — Ogah

Minister of State for Mines and Steel Development, Dr. Uche Ogah has denied media publication alleging that he boycotted the mining cluster site inspection programme scheduled to take place in Ebonyi on Friday 29th January 2021 by 12 pm over a frosty relationship between the state governor, Dave Umahi and the Minister for Science and Technology, Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu.

In a statement signed by Hon. Demian Igbokwe, the Snr. Special Assistant, Special Duties to Ogah made available to ABN TV, the Minister described the news as false, calling Nigerians to ignore the report.

He stated, “The Honorable Minister of State, Ministry of Mines and Steel Development, Dr. Uchechukwu S. Ogah was supposed to be in Ebonyi State on Friday 29th January 2021 by 12pm for the South East mining cluster site inspection programme which was officially captured in Ebonyi State Governor’s itinerary for that day. His flight, Airpeace flight 7103 from Abuja to Enugu was moved from 10am (it’s ticket time) to 12pm at the time the Honorable Minister of State was already at the departure lounge.

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“By 12pm, the Airline came up with another announcement, moving the flight to 3pm, at this time, the only alternative airline to Enugu has taken off and fully booked even before its departure time. The Airpeace Airline ended up conveying the Honorable Minister of State and other passengers to Enugu by 4:45pm and at that time, the Governor of Ebonyi had got a call and headed to a community in his State to quell a crisis. A new date has been agreed and fixed between the Governor of Ebonyi State and the Honorable Minister of State for the inspection to hold. Regrettably, this is the true position and not what the propagandist tend to achieve with the article they published.”